Chapter 78: The Fake Princess and His God of War Prince (35)
People have premonitions before they die.
The Emperor knew he wouldn’t get better. The Crown Prince’s words offered him no comfort; instead, he found the Prince’s weeping pathetic and unfit for great responsibility.
He waved his hand irritably, signaling him to stop. “How can Zhen be at ease handing this world over to you?”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince tilted his head to look at Xiao Ji, who was kneeling silently beside him. “What does Fuhuang mean by this?”
The Emperor ignored the Crown Prince and began speaking to Xiao Ji. “Little Ninth.”
Xiao Ji responded, “This son is here.”
The Emperor gave a strained, dry laugh. “Do you think Zhen doesn’t know what you’ve been doing behind the scenes…”
“Since ancient times, in the way of power and strategy, finding the mastermind doesn’t require evidence. One only needs to see who the greatest beneficiary is in the end.”
“So ruthless and calculating. You have the talent of an Emperor.”
Xiao Ji did not deny it. He simply said calmly, “Fuhuang flatters me.”
The Emperor started to laugh, but as he laughed, he coughed up another pool of blood from his hoarse throat.
The Crown Prince hurriedly used his own sleeve to wipe the Emperor, scolding Xiao Ji, “Look at how you’ve angered Fuhuang!”
Xiao Ji looked at the Crown Prince as if looking at a fool. “At a time like this, Imperial Brother should stop pretending.”
The Crown Prince wanted to argue further with Xiao Ji, but was stopped by the Emperor. “Silence. Speak no more.”
The Crown Prince obediently knelt aside and shut his mouth.
The Emperor caught his breath and asked Xiao Ji, “Do you have any other backup plans?”
Xiao Ji lowered his eyes. “Fuhuang might as well hold on a little longer and wait and see.”
The Emperor nodded. “Very well.”
The hall fell into silence, with only the Emperor’s heavy breathing clearly audible.
Time passed second by second. Before long, a commotion came from outside the door.
Just as the Crown Prince tried to stand up to check the situation, a group of masked men in black broke in through the windows, brandishing sharp weapons, and surrounded the three of them.
The Crown Prince was startled and was about to shout for help.
But in the next second, before he could open his mouth, a sharp blade was pressed against his throat.
Terrified, his legs went soft, and he fainted on the spot.
Several others surrounded Xiao Ji, who remained kneeling on the ground indifferent to the situation. Sword points from all directions were aimed straight at him.
Lying on the bed, the Emperor suddenly laughed out loud. His hoarse, aged voice carried the exhaustion and mockery of someone who saw through everything but was powerless to stop it.
“Old Seven, ah… stupid!!!”
As his words fell, a figure slowly walked in from beyond the circle of men in black. He removed his mask and said to the Emperor:
“Where is the edict of succession?”
The Emperor did not speak.
Xiao Yu looked down condescendingly at the Emperor and Xiao Ji kneeling on the ground. “Issue the decree now. Pass the throne to…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of slaughter rang out from outside the door. Xiao Yu was startled. Just as he was about to take the Emperor hostage, he was knocked over by a sudden, massive force.
A heavy door panel crushed Xiao Yu. Xiang Yinnian, holding a large saber, stepped onto the door panel pressing down on Xiao Yu.
“Rebellious traitor! I dare you to run! You actually have the audacity to break into Chengming Hall and hold His Majesty hostage!”
After saying that, he shouted to the people behind him, “Protect His Majesty! Protect the Prince and the Empress! Leave none of these rebels alive!”
When the chaotic battle broke out, the first reaction of Xiao Yu’s men was to attack Xiao Ji.
Unfortunately, heaven did not grant their wish. No one saw clearly how Xiao Ji stood up, seized a sword from someone else, and skewered those attackers like candied hawthorn.
The concubines and young princes in the main hall scurried like rats, hiding wherever they could.
The palace guards, Xiao Yu’s personal guard, and Xiang Yinnian’s troops fought in a chaotic mass. Flesh and blood flew, and fresh blood flowed down the steps of Chengming Hall.
By the time everything settled, night had long since fallen.
A blood-red moon hung high over the Imperial Palace, and flocks of crows settled on the roofs and palace walls.
Xiang Yinnian stood in the main hall, holding Xiao Yu’s severed head in his hand.
Xiao Yu’s personal guards were completely wiped out. The palace guards had lost over half their numbers.
As for the hundred Black Cavalry soldiers, they remained as they were when they arrived—wounded but with no fatalities. Clad in black armor and stained with blood, each looked like an Asura demon.
Xiao Ji walked to Xiang Yinnian’s side and said softly, “You’ve worked hard.”
Xiang Yinnian asked, “How do you intend to deal with the Crown Prince?”
Xiao Ji said indifferently, “Let him fend for himself.”
“What about the succession edict?” Xiang Yinnian frowned.
Xiao Ji looked at Xiang Yinnian. “From start to finish, the Emperor never intended for the Crown Prince to succeed him.”
Before entering the inner hall today, everyone, including Xiao Ji, thought that although the Crown Prince had no great achievements, he had no major faults either. If the succession struggle didn’t claim his life, he would only need to survive until the day the Emperor died to legitimately inherit the throne.
But after entering the inner hall and exchanging a few words with the Emperor, Xiao Ji understood. The Emperor had no intention of letting the Crown Prince succeed.
He had scolded the Crown Prince so harshly merely to make Xiao Ji spare the Crown Prince’s life.
He was telling Xiao Ji that the Crown Prince was truly stupid and would not hinder Xiao Ji’s affairs.
Sure enough, after the bloodbath ended, the Duke Ding, a veteran of three reigns, stepped into the Imperial Palace holding a scroll of imperial edict in his hand.
He knelt outside the main hall, unfurled the edict, and displayed it to everyone.
At the same moment, the old eunuch who had just covered the Emperor with a white cloth hurried from the inner hall to the front of the hall. Picking up another edict, he stood over the ground covered in corpses and chanted loudly:
“By the will of the Heavens, the Emperor decrees:
Zhen has ruled with humility for forty-seven years. Zhen’s age has reached the ancient rare; confined to a sickbed, Zhen’s energy is gradually exhausting. From this day forth, Zhen passes Great Yue to the Ninth Imperial Prince, Wuyan, to ascend the throne.
The Ninth Imperial Prince, Wuyan, is benevolent, filial, generous, diligent in governance, and loves the people. He has Zhen’s approval. It is hoped that the Ninth Imperial Prince, Wuyan, will expand the royal enterprise, comfort the common people, and ensure the eternal stability of Great Yue’s rivers and mountains, bringing peace to the seas and clarity to the rivers.”
Xiao Ji, Courtesy Name: Wuyan.
The old eunuch rolled up the edict in his hand and delivered it to Xiao Ji.
Duke Ding knelt alone before the hall and shouted loudly:
“Long live my Emperor! Long live! Long live!”
Upon hearing this, Xiang Yinnian led the soldiers of the Northern Border to kneel and shout in unison:
“Long live my Emperor! Long live! Long live!!!”
With this, the dust settled.
After the events of this day—the national mourning, the new Emperor’s ascension, and the corpses filling Chengming Hall—there was simply too much to handle.
The entire Imperial Palace was swamped.
Xiang Yinnian, however, moved directly and openly into Mingyue Hall, coming and going with Xiao Ji, eating and sleeping together.
Only after Xiao Ji formally ascended the throne did Xiang Yinnian seem to suddenly realize something:
“Why do I feel like something isn’t right? Did the Emperor play us? The name on his succession edict was yours, so didn’t we waste all that effort?”
Xiao Ji looked at Xiang Yinnian. “No. He couldn’t have predicted so early that I would return to the palace. If I’m not mistaken, he only made up his mind to issue the decree after letting the Governor of the Night Watch Bureau eavesdrop on my private conversation with Xiao Yu. Before that, he had been observing me.”
Xiang Yinnian understood. After digesting this for a long time, he slapped the table in anger:
“Truly not something a human would do! Everyone in this palace harbors hundreds of twisted, treacherous thoughts. It’s not as comfortable as staying in the Northern Border.”
Xiao Ji laughed. “Regretting it?”
Xiang Yinnian did regret it a little, but the real reason wasn’t that people had too many schemes.
It was because yesterday afternoon, when Xiao Ji was discussing matters in the Imperial Study, someone had mentioned the matter of establishing an Empress.
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